A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Rural Secondary Transition

Abstract

Depending on which date is attributed to the birth of secondary transition, it can be considered anywhere from 27 to 57 years old. No matter which date is used, it has been a while since the field “took stock” of itself. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to (a) briefly summarize where the field of secondary transition has been; (b) briefly summarize where we think the field of secondary transition now stands in terms of student postschool outcomes and barriers to successful outcomes in rural communities; and (c) conclude with some thoughts on what is next, how we might get there, and what this means for secondary transition in rural areas.

edTPA: Assisting Rural Special Education Teacher Candidates to Incorporate Self-Regulation Skills in Planning and Instruction

“…Embedding self-regulation skills within an instructional plan is beneficial for students with disabilities as it promotes improved academic, functional, postsecondary, and social outcomes (Algozzine et al, 2001; Lee et al, 2009; Martin et al, 2003; Rivera et al, 2018; Shogren et al, 2015). It may also be of greater benefit to students with disabilities in rural areas as these students often experience challenges related to poverty, decreased opportunities for employment, and underemployment due to geographic location and isolation (Test & Fowler, 2018). As such, it becomes important for IHEs in rural areas to ensure they adequately and continually identify ways to improve candidates’ performance, particularly in rural settings where students with disabilities struggle the most.…”

“…Best practice in special education involves teaching such skills as they enhance both academic and functional performance for students with disabilities (Lee et al, 2009; Martin et al, 2003; Shogren, 2013). More importantly, self-regulated learning has been demonstrated to aid in student development in terms of increased quality of life (Shogren et al, 2015), which, apart from teacher candidates needing to master, is vitally important for students with disabilities (Test & Fowler, 2018).…”

“…Further exacerbating these challenges; most reviews on the effects of self-determination skills have focused on specific populations (e.g., autism, learning disabilities) and these findings may not be generalized to broader groups of students, including those receiving special education in rural settings (Algozzine et al, 2001; Chou et al, 2017; Test & Fowler, 2018). If educators are apprehensive in teaching such skills or lack the training to teach these skills and researchers are still investigating applications across other disability areas, it stands to reason that there is a delay in training special educators to implement these best practices.…”

“…As IHEs use edTPA data to inform programmatic changes, it becomes increasingly important to address areas where teacher candidates struggle and provide potential solutions that may lead to improved teaching outcomes (Test & Fowler, 2018). As such, the purpose of this article is to describe steps faculty members from the special education department at East Carolina University, an IHE serving rural communities across North Carolina, took to better assist special education teacher candidates in embedding self-regulation skills through a lesson plan sequence.…”

Supporting Strong Transitions Remotely: Considerations and Complexities for Rural Communities During COVID-19

“…To compound issues, some rural communities have more limited access to essential services like internet and cellular service (Test & Fowler, 2018; United Nations, 2020). This can make communication with students, families, and service providers more difficult.…”